Mea Culpa
by animeparody
Summary: Now what if I reset the pieces? If I paint the grey king white, move the pawns up, build the Black King a fortress, and I place the red king's silent army in the shadows, waiting. AU where kid Charles's finds both Raven and Erik that night in 1944 and thousand other stones are thrown into the river. (chap 3 fixed)
1. Set the Pieces

**[Set the pieces.]**

* * *

_Move. Bend. Do anything!_

The coin was unresponsive.

Each drawn out second became more painful as the coin, one small coin, remained immobile and Schimdt's cold voice slowly counted, counted down to the seconds before he killed his mother.

_Move. Move. Please move. Just move-_

The gunshot blows away everything else, reducing his mind to a blank and the image of his mother is gone. Slowly, the dark red bleeds into his sight, tainting it and hiring into his mind.

In the blank sheet of dark red, splotches of lighter red appear.

He can feel the metal nearby. The assortment of things in the next room. In this room, a bell, the coin, the drawers and the soldiers arsenals.

The red turns into an unfathomable rage.

_Kill. Kill. And run away. _

It's a concentration camp. The image, the scent and the _idea_ of death is not alien.

His mind muffled the soldiers screams, screaming as their metal helmets crush around their head, it's not important. Not that important now. He can't think about them now. They were tormentors. That was all that mattered. What's important is Shaw. He searches for the the largest, heaviest piece of metal in vicinity.

The drawer. It should be heavy enough. He rattles and throws around every other piece of metal, collapsing what he can, masking the sight of the cabin are lifting itself.

Shaw claps and praises him, until the cabinet slams into the back of his head.

He expects it to kill him, not stun him.

But it's something and he breaks the door lock, and runs.

* * *

There is the matter of how to get away.

But it is surprisingly easy because the allies are more sympathetic than he expects. He manages to not only to leave the country but the continent.

When he arrives, as expected his orphan state leaves him barely anything to name. He expected this. Luckily, he has more advantages when it comes to stealing.

He's near the northeast corner of Westchester, New York and he's heard of a mansion nearby. If he's going to steal, he might as well steal from those who won't miss it.

The problem is, he's not the only one with this idea.

He gets spotted bending the fence by a girl with blue skin.

* * *

One look at the mansion, and any grievance she had about stealing from them was gone. Instantly, she had an image of a wealthy family of pigs with servant and made dry commentary on the war while sitting on their dining tables. They probably had a son who was a spoiled brat. Well lucky him.

It's cold, but her skin is tough. She slowly starts circling the half-wall, half-fence around the mansion when she spots the boy. He's skinny, covered in rags and probably here to do the same thing as her.

Great. She can steal and leave him to take the fall.

She moves closer, to kick the boy out when the unimaginable happens.

The boy reaches his hands out, and the fence bends away, creating an opening.

She is left gaping at him, frozen until he turns and sees her.

"Mein Gott."

That, she knew, was German.

"Uh, hi?"

_Well that was one way to do this. _

She starts thinking about running when unfamiliar words pour out of his mouth.

"You're… pretty."

She stares at him as if he had suddenly turned into a life supply of candy.

"You think so?"

"Ja."

Learning other languages has always been easy for her, because she recognises to intimations, she can feel and hear what the words mean. And his sound a lot like _yes_.

The moment, she staring at him and him at her, is broken when suddenly, they hear a third voice of one as young as them.

_I knew I couldn't be alone. _

* * *

The boy starts and turns to him with a surprised look. The girl just shift her stare to him but closes her gaping mouth.

He saw the boy. while he was looking out the window. He saw the boy bend the gate without touching it. He saw the blue girl emerge from the shadows as he rushed down the stairs.

_Don't worry. I'm not going to hurt you. I'm just like you. _

He's practiced it, in the vain hope that one day he would find others.

The boy however looks confused and with a quick peak in his mind he finds out why. His thoughts are in a flurry of German.

He's not good at this but the boy knows the basics so it'll be easier.

The boy blinks in surprise, putting a hand on his head.

_Sorry bout that but now you should know what I'm talking about. Basically you now know English. Let me re-do that intro. _

He smiles at the both of them.

_Hi. I'm Charles Xavier. I don't want to hurt you, but I'm hoping that you will take my offer of shelter. I'll give you all the food you want, whatever you need. You'll never have to steal. I'm like you, so don't worry about that. _

The boy looks uncertain, but Charles can feel him warming up to him. He's thinking about giving him his name, but after that it's a flurry of bad memories.

_It's okay. You can choose a new name if you'd like. _

Charles gives another smile.

The boy this time smiles back.

"I'm Erik."

Charles nods happily and hold out his hand to the girl.

_And you?_

"I'm Raven."

_Welcome, Erik and Raven._

* * *

Years later, Raven gives her proposal to Erik.

"You need a full name."

The topic comes up as they stride through the streets, off to find Charles in one of his particularly enthusiastic moods. The young man had most likely gone to pester a professor or dash to library.

"Why?"

"Because Charles and I know you as Erik, but to every other person you have a hundred different names. You need a full name, and a backstory to go with it."

"And pray tell Raven where would I get to officialise those?"

"Same place as me?"

"And make Charles mad again? Where's the legal option?"

"Um, a registration office place?"

"And what would I tell them? I need a good explanation for a period of mysterious blanks."

"Well you've just hit legal so you could use a little truth here and say that you came here after the war as an orphan and we took you in."

Erik sighs. He really can't see the bother. But he unfortunately sees the necessity.

"Can't I just do it during the gap year?"

"I thought you were intending to leave the country during the gap year. I distinctly remember you saying something about going back to Germany."

"So?"

"You need a passport, which comes with identity."

"I'll just get it the same place as you."

"Charles will find out."

"We're leaving tomorrow anyway, and he probably won't pay much attention to my illegal plans."

"Our illegal plans you mean, since I'm the one pointing you to a forger."

* * *

Sometimes, Charles forgets that out of the three of them, he is youngest.

Their ages are like a stepladder, with Raven a year ahead of him and Erik a year after her.

The musing comes when he's watching them leave the mansion, when he is, for the first time in a long time, alone.

They will be back of course, after their 'gap year' but the when is unclear. He does hope that they be back soon but the purpose of them setting out was to get their foothold in the world, live and find a life they want.

Charles desperately want to keep them here with him, hermits in a lonely mansion. Well, everyone has at least a silver of selfishness.

He hopes that they'll be back soon.

* * *

Somewhere over half a decade later, with Erik and Raven in their early twenties and Charles fresh off, the paradox occurs.

The mansion is cut of from the rest of the world in its own private corner in Westchester, a looming presence for most that lay eyes upon it. For the very few, it is home.

Erik arrives first, appearing at the gates, resting his hand on the cold metal. It's reminiscent of the first time he came, just as ragged as he is now, but this time there are no plans of stealing food in his mind, instead the memories of a family, a wonderful brother and sister.

Exactly like all those years ago, Raven comes next, her form melting out of the shadows of the foliage. But not in her natural form, and toting a child.

They freeze as they drink in the familiar sight.

Erik cannot see how Raven has grown. Her shape shifting makes any gauging unreliable. But in her eyes is a new flame and her head is held higher. Then there's also the child. He recognises the bond between parent and child. He makes a mental note to ask if he should offer comfort to a widow or is there's still a bastard out there who needs a punch in the face.

Erik, Raven notes, has grown. He's filled in his frame and puberty has served him very well. But he is morose, saddened. As if during his absence, he found all the reasons to love the world, lost it and built himself back up forcibly.

The standoff is broken when of their own accord, the gates swing open and Erik makes a gesture for Raven to go in first.

The gates close behind them and exactly like all those years ago, Charles Xavier comes, his soothing presence washing over their minds, a balm for fresh pain. And the charismatic personality follows, a binding force that eases them.

_Welcome back._

* * *

More years later, and the three of them are celebrating, because finally, Charles Xavier has finally given in.

"Come on Charles! Don't be a stick in the mud, it'll be fun!"

Raven is as usual, the outgoing spirit of the trio. The blonde is trying to push a glass of who knows what into her reluctant brother's hands, discreetly digging her heels into the man trying to grope her. She chose a simple form tonight, the one she usually wears when she needs it but drunks don't need much baiting.

Charles refuses it again, he does not think spending his birthday drunk will be good, but he feels his other companion laughing and patting him on the back.

"Really Charles, you'd think we were trying to give you poison. Just do it to sate Raven. You know how stubborn she is."

"Who's side are you on?!"

"Raven's, obviously."

Charles turns to glare at Erik. He's grown from a skinny boy to a built man half a head taller. Honestly, it's slightly embarrassing to be shorter but he mentally reasons that it because Erik is German, and Germans usually have quite imposing figures.

Charles sighs, takes one last look at Erik's daring face and Raven's puppy dog eyes, before downing the glass.

It's great.

He tells then that and asks more more of whatever it is he's drinking, laughing with Raven and Erik, before the drink arrives and Charles starts his long night, Erik throwing in recommendations as he joins him and Raven turns to give the man groping her a good kick in the balls.

Ah, it was good to be young.

* * *

Later that night, when they have stumbled home, before midnight because Erik has notes the signs that Charles is close to being far gone and raven's worries over her son, Kurt, is easy to pick up without telepathy. Kurt is an independent child, by three year old standards, but it is a mother's instinct to worry.

But they laugh because its great to be together again.

* * *

Hank McCoy was only 40% sure the would work.

He could design supersonic planes and graduate the university at the the top of his class, but the syringe in his hand was the one thing he was never sure of yet at the same time the one thing that mattered the most to him.

He knew he should probably test in an animal first but he didn't know where he could find mutated animals, of the same type of mutation as him, that would procure near accurate results.

There was no choice but to test on himself.

* * *

Kurt is safely tucked in bed, sound asleep when Charles dares to breech into Erik and Ravens minds.

_Would you like to talk about it?_

_About what, Charles?_

_The air of gloominess that surrounds the both of you. What happened?_

They sit themselves in Charles' study, surrounding a chess set, elaborately carved wood on metal pedestals.

Raven looks at Erik eyes, sees the familiar reluctance. He has never been open, not to even to them.

_I met another mutant while traveling. _

Erik and Charles look up at Raven. Charles knows that she's promoting Erik, and motions that he is listening.

_Like me, his mutation altered his physical form, but he was a teleporter. I met him in Russia and we- got along well. But eventually he told me he needed to leave, because he was-involved in something dangerous. It was only after he left that I found out about Kurt. I managed to travel farther out in, trying to get home before I gave birth but i didn't make it so I spent a lot of time trying to travel back. _

Charles puts his hand on hers and Erik on her shoulder. Raven tried to push out the details, because the time she spent with Azazel, even though it was only a fe month felt like a memory she should should lock up in a box like treasure, only to be shared with her son.

_Erik?_

Charles and Raven turned to him, kindly prompting.

_I had a child too. A daughter. Named Anya. Would have been the same age as Kurt. _

_What happened?_

The mental link is flooded with images of fire and screaming, the makings of a mob and the cries of a little girl.

_Erik I am so sorry. _

The images ebb away as Erik calms and Charles poses the question.

_… __um, the mother?_

Erik's wistful smile turned into a grimace.

_She was someone I knew before the war. A human though. She fled after she saw me using my powers trying to save Anya. _

He gives a wry smile, unsuccessfully trying to calm the both of them.

The story is entirely different from hers, yet so similar. The same things happened to him, and yet Raven got the better end.

Did life really have to be this hard on him?

* * *

Kurt really like his mother's brothers. They were really nice to him. Though he preferred the smiling one. The other one was always so droopy.

* * *

The day after is a bit of fretting about because Charles, for all his skills, cannot slip in 'oh-by-the-way-I'm-in-Oxford' into their recollection moment last night.

There also the mention of Charles' new maid.

"Why do you think the house is so clean? You don't really think I've manages it alone a these years."

"But you have a dozen trusty maids who've been with you since childhood. Why the new one?"

"She was barely holding a job at a strip club upstate. I offered her a job where she could keep her clothes on."

"Oh great. A _stripper_. How do we know if she can be trusted?"

Charles smiled knowingly at them.

"You'll see."

Charles leads them to the dining room and opens the door to reveal Kurt hanging off the chandelier with the new maid flying beside him.

"Could you please get off the chandelier? I need to fix it before you break more of it."

Kurt clapped happily, swinging in his tail to try grab the flying teen.

Raven stares at up at the insect wings that protrude from the girls back, and Erik sighed before commenting dryly to Charles.

"This would have been easier if you'd told us she was one of us earlier."

"You know me Erik. I enjoy surprising the two of you. Meet Angel Salvadore. Angel, meet Raven and Erik."

* * *

Authors note: Gahhh. Gahhhh. Time to write out the year old AU.

Warning: I will mess up timeline, I have only skimmed the comics and updates will be slow


	2. First move

**[First move]**

The room was so dark, it was surprising that Erik had managed to find a slice of moonlight to illuminate the photograph.

He had salvaged it from a bar, on another part of Europe, pried from a blood-splattered frame.

Great. Now it sounds like some sort of prized memento.

It's memento for pain. Hate. Rage. And it's a target.

Erik takes one last look at the picture of Schimdt before folding it away, tucking under a picture of Anya.

* * *

Moira Mactaggert prided herself on an innumerable amount of skills, skills that made her a good CIA agent.

Now if only that mattered to the leering males in her department.

Not that her partner was bad, he was okay, really.

He was just a little dense.

"Do you think you could mingle with those strippers if you'd take of your clothes and maybe then we can find out what the hellfire club is really about."

"Of course not! Do you think I typically wear that type of lingerie to stakeouts?!"

She scoffs at him before lifting up the binoculars again.

The Hellfire club.

An anomaly that merited the CIA's attention. Moira could easily see why. She could make out a good number of influential figures amidst the crowd, including one US Colonel Hendry.

There was something big going on here.

If only she knew what.

"Ooh! I've got a second plan!"

This was going to be one long night.

* * *

In another continent, Charles Xavier was attempting to eat breakfast, perfect his thesis, read a book and bat away three sets of hands trying to pry away his book.

"Okay Professor, eat first, then handle the nerd stuff."

"Mmf- technically I don't have my doctorate yet- hmm…"

"Charles."

"Hmm… later Erik…"

"Charles that was _Raven_. I'm Erik."

"Hmmm…"

"Mom what's wrong with him?"

"Nothing Kurt. He's just in a mood. This is why I told Angel to order him things that he's allergic to. Now watch."

Raven picked up Kurt and placed him on her lap, Erik moving his chair away from Charles and Angel ready with a glass of water.

The cozy residence they were in was one the many houses the Xavier household had built over the world, in the event that someone decided to take a vacation, or in Charles' case, attend university. It had a generally warm feeling to it, reminiscent of a summer haze, that is until Charles dropped his books to choke out the food he had absent mindlessly stuffed his mouth with.

"Gah!"

"And he's back."

Erik reached over, chuckling as he patted Charles' back and Raven exchanged looks with Angel, who held out the glass of water.

"Was that really necessary? It was like you'd predicted this ahead of time!"

"We know you Charles."

"We also know that your probably going to go drinking later so you might want to fold away the papers for now and eat before I get Erik to spoon feed you."

"By that you mean he levitates the silverware to shove food into my mouth, and no thank you by the way."

Charles catches Erik's smirk and pins down the vibrating fork.

* * *

There were only two words to describe Moira MacTaggert exact thoughts.

_Holy. Shit. _

But if you want a sentence it would be;

_Moira Mactaggert, CIA agent, was peaking at a criminal from a crack in a hidden door while choking her partner in an attempt to control the tipsy man. _

Just your average CIA operative.

But back to the unexplainable phenomenon she was staring at.

Women who could turn into glass- no that was more like diamond- and disappearing devils… they were never going to believe her. The fact that her partner was now tipsy didn't help either.

But if she could find proof- research- about this, to back her claims, make it sound believable… she remembers Shaw mentioning mutation, that was genetics. Great. Now she needed to find someone with a doctorate.

And get her drunk partner out of here.

* * *

"What are you thinking about?"

Raven stood at Erik's doorway, looking at the shadow behind the blue grey eyes and the lines that etched his face.

"Nothing much."

Erik's wan smile is the same smile he pairs with the sentence that comes every time the question is asked.

"There's something you haven't told us, and don't even try denying it."

"And what makes you say that?"

"The not so secret stash of _Nazi gold_ you had in your room before that trip to Geneva? And you've poking around, looking for someone. You're going somewhere tomorrow too."

Raven shut the door and moved to sit beside Erik.

"Just what the hell is going on?"

Erik looks at Raven.

She's in her natural blue form, something encouraged by Erik and only allowed by Charles on the condition she puts clothes on. He can see clearly now, how she's grown into a beautiful young woman, stern and calculating, but still kind the same. He could tell her. She wouldn't tell Charles and Charles wouldn't read their minds without permission. Really, the only reason he hasn't told anyone is because Charles will object.

"I found Smichdt. The man who killed my mother. He's going by a different name now, Sebastian Shaw."

Erik's stormy eyes meet Raven's shocked yellow.

"And I am hunting him down, because the rage is still here."

* * *

"Professor in Genetics, Charles Xavier."

Moira is part of the crowd that rises to clap the smiling young man, but parts with it to tail the boyishly handsome American.

She is not sure why she chose him. His doctorate is fresh, and though he delivered his thesis stunningly there are hundreds of professors in genetic mutation with at least a half a decade more experience. But it is his thesis that matches up closest to her goal.

She tails them through the light rain of London, watching the party of three part; the older looking man Moira assumes to be a good friend or brother is heading to the airport by the looks of the suitcases, while Charles and the young woman head off further into London, stopping at a pub.

She peers through the window, watching as to her surprise the professor emerged with a _yard of ale_. She cannot resist and is drawn in with the rest of cheering crowd to watch the man, clambering on top of the table and starts drinking.

A small, childishly evil part of Moira hopes that he won't make it. The CIA agent in her wishes the same, or at least for him to drink fast enough so that they can get down to it.

To her astonishment, Xavier gulps it down and orders another.

She's part of the half that stares in astonishment, and she sees Xavier's companion as part of the cheering crowd. As Xavier finishes the second round, she moves to intercept his path to the counter before he gets too drunk.

"Congratulations."

The lopsided grin means he's tipsy, but he meets her eyes so he's not flat out drunk yet.

"Why thank you- it's actually much harder than it looks-"

He lifts up the yard of ale and Moira corrects herself.

"Oh no, I was talking about that brilliant thesis."

When in doubt, go with the compliments.

"Oh! You were at my thesis- well thanks, um, is there something you need?"

Well, now it's straight to the point.

"I'm Agent Mactaggert from the CIA and I just want to know that if it's possible that the mutations that you spoke about in your thesis could have already occurred."

He blinks at her in surprise and lifts two fingers to his temple.

"I'm sorry?"

"The mutations that was the focus of your thesis? I want to know if it's possible that there could be people out there, right now, with those kind of mutations."

The look in eyes is disturbing. He's staring straight into them, his expression morphing into a level of seriousness.

"I'm sorry, maybe we should talk when you're sober."

She broke off from the stare, that deep, penetrating stare, and moved away to find a pen and paper, jumping when the hand tabbed her.

"You should come to my house later. I have a feeling… that you've stumbled across something quite _dangerous_."

Moira Mactaggert, was undoubtably frightened by those intense blue eyes.

* * *

Raven frowned when Charles appeared from the crowd with a woman in tow, a harried look on his face.

_Raven. We need to leave. Now. _

_Charles what's wrong?_

Charles cleared his throat and motioned to the woman.

"Raven, this is agent Mactaggert from the CIA. Miss Mactaggert- may I call you Moira?- Moira this is my sister, Raven."

They shook hands awkwardly, gauging each other.

Raven could see something in Moira's eyes. A pure determination. A good heart.

Moira couldn't see much in Raven. Everything about seemed false, as if it was a thick layer covering complex machinery. Even her eyes hid something.

"She has something very important to discuss with us. Raven, if you and Moira could hail a cab while I locate my things-"

"Got it."

Raven ushers Moira out and leaves to hail a cab while she makes the call.

"Angel, it's me."

"Raven? What's wrong?"

"Is Kurt asleep?"

"Yeah."

"Okay. I need you to make sure he stays in his room. We're having a guest. A CIA agent."

"Holy Shit. Did Erik take down a plane or something? You're not getting arrested are you?"

"No! At least, I don't think so. I hope not. Charles won't tell me much, only that it's important."

"Raven!"

Raven turns and sees Charles holding a cab door open, motioning for her.

"Okay I gotta go now. We're on out way so get ready."

"Okay. Keep Kurt in his room, make everything look normal. Got it."

Raven cuts the call and rushes into the cab.

* * *

"Tea?"

"Oh. Thank you."

Charles mentally winces. Though he has to commend Raven for managing the polite act despite the thick, awkward tension.

Raven gives him another withering look and then he remembers why he's invited a CIA agent to his house.

"Okay. Now to the matter at hand, Raven take a seat. Do you mind Moira?"

"Of course not."

Moira seemed to be taking this relatively well. Raven on the other hand…

Moira clears her throat.

"I asked you earlier, if the mutations you spoke about in you thesis are possible. As in there could be people, out there at this moment, with abilities described in your thesis."

_Oh yes, I can name four in this house and one on a plane to Germany. _

Of course, he didn't project that.

"Something tells me you already know the answer to that. The only you need from me is a way to explain this to your superiors. Can I ask why you're so intent on this? Even with me backing you up, without solid evidence you'd be seen as a fool."

Raven's anxiety peaked, and Charles sees her hands clench.

Moira swallows and looks at him with intimidated eyes.

"The criminal I'm after might be using… mutants to force several influential government officials to sway the government to his needs and it is important that I can convince my superiors to take the action needed in order to stop this."

Charles and Raven share a look and conversation.

_This might be a once in a lifetime chance to make a difference for mutants. _

_But it's too risky._

_The greater the risk, the more it's worth it. _

Charles turned back to Moira.

She was pretty, in a simple way. Not to much, not too little. She was definitely an honest, down to earth person. She was trustworthy.

But it wasn't just Charles here at stake. He needed to know more.

"If I may ask, who is this criminal you are after."

Moira gives him a calculated look before answering.

"Sebastian Shaw."

Raven's glass crashes to the ground.

* * *

"We'll help you."

"R-Raven?"

Raven doesn't notice the shattered pieces of glass on the floor, or when she got up or the startled looks both Charles and Moira are giving her.

"We'll help you convince the CIA, and we'll help you catch Shaw."

"B-but how are you going to prove-"

"Like this."

"_Raven_!"

"Oh my god."

They're all on their feet now. The CIA agent, the confused telepath with a PhD in genetics, and where a blonde woman stood seconds ago, a replica of Moira Mctaggert.

"Y-You're mutants."

* * *

"Raven what the hell was that?"

"We need to help them."

"Why is this suddenly so important?"

Moira is frozen in place, her mouth agape and eyes wide. She was staring at what five minutes ago had been a young, blonde moment. Three minutes ago she was staring at a twin. Now, a woman with blue skin and red hair stands there, like a goddess from distant lands.

"Sebastian Shaw… we need to get to him before Erik does."

"Okay, okay, stop."

This was becoming too much. He's just gotten his doctorate, drank two yards of ale, got approached by CIA agent who need his help with a mutant criminal group, invited her to his house where his sister decides to shapeshift. This was too much. He needed time to process, think, evaluate and-

"Wait what does _Erik_ have to do with this? Don't tell me he's part-"

"No! He's not a criminal… I think, but he's definitely not with Shaw! Erik's… actually been hunting him down."

Oh. Oh wow. _That_ was reassuring.

"Please don't tell me my brother is a covert CIA agent."

Raven actually pauses to ponder the question, which worries him.

"I don't think so but I know that he's been making all those trip around the world because he's been hunting down Shaw. Erik wants to kill him."

"What?!"

Raven looks guilty, worried and beyond panic. Slowly, she asks Charles if he remembers _Herr Doktor Schimdt. _

"Erik's childhood tormentor. I remember but what does this-"

The realisation doesn't hit him. It comes from behind him, sucker punches him and leaves Raven's messily projected memories in his mind to connect the dots.

"Oh my god. Klaus Schimdt is Sebastian Shaw."


	3. Second Move

**[Second Move]**

Contrary to popular belief, Erik Lenssher dreams.

He dreams of happier days with Magda and Anya and his mother, of Charles and Raven and home.

He also sees a gunshot, a fire and the fleeting image of woman who flees from him.

All memories, except for the nightmare where he is alone, alone except for Charles and Raven's corpses at his feet, metal piercing their heart.

* * *

Director McCone was a practical man. He was reasonable, and MacTaggert was a reliable agent, so when she came to him with her crazy mutant theory he agreed to hear out the Professor Xavier she brought in.

Now he trying to find a way to firmly but not to harshly tell MacTaggeret that he didn't belive a single bit of this bullshit and that she was about to get demoted.

"Ah, I see you don't believe me."

McCone snaps out of his thoughts to look back at Xavier.

Honestly the man unnerved him. He had boyish looks that made him look younger that he really was, and the doctorate that backed him… well his wall looked like it should be adorned with photos of pubs and not laminated certs. But the unnerving thing about him was those blue eyes. He never looked at McCone, he looked _into_ McCone, as if he hand his mind under a microscope.

Not that he was going to mention that.

"Then suppose you have some way showing proof that these… mutants exist?"

McCone gets a slight tick when Xavier smiles like he expected the question, and came fully prepared.

"Why yes, actually. Both Raven and I are mutants, but I do believe that a display do Raven's abilities will convince you instantly."

McCone spreads his arms.

"Well then show me."

The girl, Xavier's adoptive sister, gets up, smiles and_ morphed_ into him.

The entire room freezes and stares.

* * *

Erik is eying the boat in the distance, calculating entrance and escape routes, flinging out his senses for the metal that makes it and surrounds it.

He could swim up to it, or try puling himself onto to the boat using the metal. If need be he can always-

He nearly has a fleshed out plan when the diamond foot slams into his solar plexus.

In the time it takes for him to kneel over every but of metal that wasn't supporting the warehouse is aimed at the assailant.

"Now, now Emma. Play nice! This is an old reunion."

The voice itself, even though it is savvy English tone and not the sharp, fungible German he is used to hearing in his nightmares, is enough to dredge up memories.

Erik looks up and sure enough, it is Schmidt- Shaw, looking down on him with a woman made out of diamond.

"He wants to kill you."

"You know he can't Emma."

_"__Sie ficken Schadenfreude-"_

"Language! You can kick him in the head now Emma."

Sure enough, before he has the chance to drop a metal beam on 'Emma' the last thing he sees is a 24 Karat boot smashing into his face and behind that, a truck crashing down on Shaw.

* * *

The yet unnamed CIA agent that McCone has shoved them off to is a mutant enthusiast, a human who values their kind in the way a child values a superhero.

Right now Charles is attempting to listen to the man ramble about his Division X while his mind is off on the other side of the building, making inquiries to Moira.

_So you have a lead on Shaw?_

_Yeah I do, I've tracked down a boat that belongs to him, docked at-_

"And there's there's Hank, our scientist- he's a mutant too by the way- and there's the blackbird-

"Sorry what?"

_Hold on for a moment Moira. _

Charles held out a hand to stop the man's flurry of words and flurried walking.

"Oh yes, Hank is a mutant. It's a physical mutation, he's got blue fur and all but he's also a genius. Don't get fooled by his looks though he's actually a young kid so-"

Another mutant? No wonder McCone was so quick to shove them at him.

_Sorry Moira, you were saying?_

_Why are you so determined to catch Shaw anyway? I mean, you don't seem the type to mingle in those crowds. _

Cue mental sigh.

_Ah well you see my adoptive brother- yes I do have another adoptive sibling- Erik, you see he had a grudge against Shaw. For killing his mother. And I need to stop Erik before he makes a terrible mistake or gets killed. _

_I see. Meet me down at the car park and we'll go save your brother. _

* * *

Erik wakes up on a very comfortable couch, an effect ruined by by the telepath poking around his head.

_Get out!_

Erik throws up the mental shields, adequate because Charles gives him practice but weak all the same because Charles never really tries to pry.

_So. You've met another telepath. _

Erik sits up to glare at the woman. It's Schimdt's diamond companion, and judjing by the interior and swaying they're one a boat. A stationary boat with an abundance of metal. Great.

_He goes by Shaw now by the way. _

Erik scowls.

_So, you're Erik Lenssher? The telekinetic. But you can only move metal… such a shame. I'm Emma Frost. _

"I'm not interested in knowing you, I want to sink this boat and-"

"Kill Sebastian, yes yes. Revenge and all that. You're not interested at all in what's he's planning?"

Up till now Erik hadn't given much thought to anything but killing him, he barely even knew that there was a master plan going on.

_Tt. You're boring. _

_Get out!_

_You're mental shields are weak. _

Horror crashes into him when his body gets up, disobeying his commends and walking towards the door.

* * *

The coast guard and the still unnamed CIA agent are in the throes of an argument, backed by Moira and while it is entertaining to watch the beefy man flail his badge around Raven is glad when Charles motions her closer to whisper.

"I've found Erik, but we need to go now."

He drags her away from the bickering set and rounds the other

"Shouldn't we tell-"

"I've already informed Moira. We need to go fast."

"Why? Is Erik in trouble?"

Raven can feel the chill in her spine, the worry that rolls of Charles in waves and the blue eyes that pierce her with concern.

"He's gotten captured by Shaw."

* * *

"Ah! Emma! And Erik too, good! Now Erik this is Colonel Hendry, he's so kindly convinced the US government to place Jupiter missiles in Turkey."

Hendry's presence, dispute the uniform, is easily dwarfed by the easy air Shaw puts up, taking as if the colonel's presence is not worth addressing.

"Now Emma, Hendry here says that he has yet to inform anyone of our affiliation…"

Emma surveys the man for seconds before nodding to Shaw.

"He's telling the truth."

Shaw claps his hands, smiling and turns to Hendry.

Erik isn't paying attention. His concentration is aimed at the metal railing, making it vibrate, trying to get it to bend so maybe he can stab Shaw while he's distracted-

_Mental static rushes into his head, along with memories of pain, torture, laughter and- memories that are not his but are about him, strapped to a table he's never been strapped to, gleaming instruments poised above his face-_

Erik blinks the images away, and realises that Shaw is looking down at him, down on one knee.

"Now Emma, you could have waited till after I dealt with Hendry, not during."

"He's boring and predictable."

"He is now but we'll fix that later."

Sebastian bends down to meet his eyes and smiles at him.

"Now Erik I have a gift for you. Remember this?"

He's holding up a coin. That coin._ That damned coin. _

_Erik can't stop the flood of memories, the awkward curve of his mother's body as she lay on the ground, the dark red pool that crept along the floor. _

"Now Emma, as we talked about."

Shaw tucks the coin in Erik's breast pocket, not that he notices.

_The memory's flow changes. He crushed the cabinet instead of picking it up, and he never leaves. He stays, stays and is strapped to a table, tested on as Schmidt laughs-_

"Now you're a wonderful pet Erik, it's just your loyalty that's at fault. Your skills have improved- good job with drooling that truck on me by the way. Let me return the favour."

Shaw lightly pushes Erik's shoulder, but with the residue energy he has stored up Erik is flung through the railings and into the freezing evening waters.

* * *

Charles pushes the speed limit of the taxi, the driver himself sitting still like a doll in the backseat. Raven gives a scream, when with the boat in sight Charles nearly run the taxi into a warehouse.

"Charles!"

"Oh god, come on Raven."

He rushes out of the car, quickly crossing over to untangle Raven from her seat belt.

"We have to hurry."

"Yeah Charles is see the boat leaving."

"No. They just threw Erik overboard, and their telepath is filling his head with false memories- he's drowning."

They break into a run.

* * *

_He's strapped to a table, metal but he's too disorientated to do anything about it and there's a light being shined into his eyes, masking the gleam of a shiny instrument-_

All he sees an odd blue with light filtering through. It's silent, and oddly he feels comfortable. He doesn't ever want to leave-

_Erik! Erik snap out of it!_

_The metal instruments bite into his skin, cold until the pain flares and he can only scream-_

_It's not real Erik! Erik! They're not real!_

He's being grabbed, and he's moving closer to the light and-

"Erik! Charles!"

Charles breaks the surface of the water first, followed by a spluttering Erik.

"Erik? Erik! Raven help me get him out of the water-"

He feels another set of hands go under his arms and he is hauled to dry land, coughing up water.

_The pain in his lungs mingles with the phantom pain of memories, pain and blood and laughter and more pain and metal he cannot control-_

_Erik! _

His sight is fuzzy, the images distorted and the same goes for his hearing and yet the familiar voice rings clear in his head, pushing out the images.

_Erik, listen to me. The memories are not real. You escaped. You came my home years ago and it has been your home since. Erik snap out of it. I'm here. We're here, Raven and I._

The images are gone, falling away to reveal Charles and Raven kneeling beside him, Charles with his fingers at his temple and Raven with a vice grip on his arm. Behind them, a fresh night sky.

"Raven. Charles."

If anyone says that his voice cracked later, he'll deny it or blame it on the fact he was coughing up water.

But for now, he let's Raven and Charles hug the life out of him without protest.

* * *

Moira Mactaggert looked up to the car that was peeling of from the main road to deposit a group of three, two men who are utterly soaked and woman who's a leaves are damp.

Charles strides ahead of the group, making introductions.

"Moira this is Erik Lenssher, my brother and Erik this is agent Mactaggert from the CIA."

With Erik there the trio is now balanced out. Erik's imposing presence dampens Charles' over whelming charisma and if Moira had to guess he was the stern but encouraging pair to Raven's unsure but kind personality. But just like the other two, Moira could feel something dangerous lurking behind the hard blue grey eyes.

"So, how'd it go?"

As expected it is Charles who comes at the tense air with a knife, severing it with a simple statement.

"Shaw got away. He had a mutant with him who threw a miniature tornado at the coast guard. We manage to get on the ship but they had escaped via submarine and set the boat on fire before leaving. We weren't able to salvage much."

"Okay then."

It was then that the CIA agent McCone had pushed them off too, still unnamed, came rushing up to them.

"You really need to go back to my division now or else McCone will be pissed."

Charles places a few calming words to the man and tells him that with the distance, it would be better for them to stay in a hotel for now and set off the next day. It didn't take much to persuade the man and they parted, the CIA agents off to find an affordable hotel and the trio tailing Erik back to his hotel.

* * *

"Erik."

Raven has gone off on a quest for food (though Erik suspects that she's making a phone call to Kurt) and Charles is fresh out of the shower. Erik has chosen to sit motionless in a chair, staring into space, trying to banish false memories.

"Are you alright?"

"Fine Charles."

Erik has no energy left to mask the weariness in his voice, and that makes Charles bite back a thousand questions.

"Rest Erik. You're exhausted."

For the first time since before their gap year, Charles pushes Erik towards the bed, where he falls asleep in seconds.

_Oh Erik. If only we could stay happy and innocent forever. _


	4. Third Move

As Hank rounds the corner, he sees the group of four making small commentary on his Blackbird.

"Looks pretty advanced."

_It's is. Very. _

"It's new, apparently."

_Yeah, latest one built. _

"Hmm."

_Okay. Be calm. They're mutants too so they might not freak out. Oh who am I kidding? I have fangs and blue fur. I look threatening!_

He clears his throat, because really he had to talk to them eventually, and attempts to slide into the conversation.

"You should see the real thing. It's supersonic."

The woman that gasps audibly upon seeing him is obviously the CIA agent, Mactaggert. The man who merely raises an eyebrow and the delighted pair who look at him with a gleam in their eyes are probably fellow mutants. It's a pleasant surprise for Hank that no one screams. Or worse, faints.

To his relief, the stand off last only seconds before the first move is made, clearing the awkward first meetings air.

The youngest one steps forward, taking leadership. Hank expected the tall, stern looking man to be the leader instead so it's another pleasant surprise to be greeting the least hostile looking of the three.

"Hello, it's great to meet you! I'm Charles Xavier, you must be Hank McCoy?"

It's rare to find someone willing to shake his hand, with him looking like a beastly cross between a gorilla and lion with blue fur.

"Yes, I'm Hank. You would be the telepath?"

Hank shakes the hand back, making sure not to accidentally crush it, and the simple greeting spirals off into a long conversation about Division X, which leads to a conversation about mutants, and their in the throes of a theory on genetics before they are interrupted.

"- what's interesting is the development of mental abilities like your telepathy in a genetic mutation, and it is unsurprisingly rarer than physical mutations-"

"Charles. You've hogged him for nearly half an hour. The rest of us want to talk to him too you know?"

Charles (when did he move so quickly from Xavier to Charles?) looks up, blinking confusedly before stepping away.

"Of course, of course."

The blushing young professor moves away, to the side of his chuckling brother. Hank catches the discreet poke the professor makes to the side of the leather jacket, a small pout forming.

Hank searches for the owner of the voice, the stunning blonde woman, before realising that now a young lady with blue skin and short, flame-red hair is smiling at him.

"Hello Hank- do you mind if I call you Hank? I'm Raven, Charles' sister."

Like her brother, she offers her hand too.

"My mutation is physical too, but I'm a shapeshifter so it's easy to hide. This is what I normally look like."

"Well, you look pretty."

She smiles dispute the slight stutter and Hank knows that he's fallen, hook, line and sinker.

* * *

Charles leaves Raven to woo the fumbling young scientist before seeking out the CIA agent, whose name is apparently Oliver Black.

"Mr Xavier, Mr Lenssher."

Black is eyeing Erik, worried and clearly intimidated. Erik's emotionless face (He argues that it's neutral) isn't much of a comfort to the overwhelmed man. Sensing his discomfort, Charles manoeuvres his focus away.

"So Mr. Black, you mentioned something called Cerebro during our week-long trip? Somewhere on Tuesday I think."

Black snaps back to his enthusiastic self and begins chattering.

"Oh yes! I called Hank in after that meeting with McCone and we were talking about how it's possible that there may be many more undiscovered mutants in the world and I mentioned that you're a telepath and Hank-"

Erik holds out his hand.

"Get to the point."

Charles glared at the metal bender, but Black's next words steals his focus.

"Hank's build a machine that can track down mutants."

* * *

"We need to set up some terms first."

Oliver Black has never felt quite so intimidated. Even as a high ranking CIA agent there are still people that tower over him, like McCone or Stryker, even though the latter was a young one. They held authority over him. These guys? They held the power to take on the world.

"Terms?"

The woman nods and black is quite thankful that Lenssher is off trying to peel of the eccentric Xavier from Cerebro. Compared to the steel glare the yellow slitted eyes and blue skin was nothing with his experience with Hank.

"Yes. We've agreed to help you find mutants but they should only be found by their own kind. Us."

Black mentally runs down his options. Saying yes wouldn't bring so much repercussions he couldn't deal with so…

"Okay. Sure. I mean is they get the CIA knocking on their door they might not react well."

She looks pleased with his reply but then she eyes him again, expecting a catch.

"But I can't exactly let you guys go cross-country without a member of the CIA present for supervision-"

"We'll take MacTaggert."

Damn. He was hoping they'd take him.

* * *

"I've got it!"

"Got wha- Kurt, seriously."

"I've caught the birdie, I've caught the birdie!"

"Alright, alright. Now get down from the rafters. It's dusty up here."

"But the attic is cool!"

"Then I'll leave you up here with the boogeyman!"

* * *

"Try again."

"Gee, Hank do you want me to burn down the building too?"

Raven smiles as she watches the boys. So far, they have only brought back three out of the hundreds Charles has found but Raven feels like a puzzle piece, the first in the makings of an awesome sight.

"Yo Raven!"

Raven blinks out of her thoughts, turning to Sean. He's lively, with enough spirit to drag Alex out of his hermit shell and lead Darwin and Hank into a healthy conversation. He's a spark that Raven does not mind and one that the others desperately need.

"What?"

"We're picking code names!"

He wildly motions her over to his side of the room, to the small table and couch they'd dragged in. Hank had found them an open area, placed a few targets and glass panels for an ability display.

It's a good idea, since nervous teens don't place well in a confines CIA base, especially seeing as why they were here. Paranoia would creep up on them and fray their nerves. They'd probably burn down the building in panic. Like Alex nearly did.

He had panicked upon seeing the mass of nameless black suits, stoic faces and it took Charles' empathetic soothings and Hank's timely intervention for the red sparks to ebb away.

"Um, Havok? Since my power is kinda destructive and all… well you can see that."

He motions to the burning mannequins.

"Okay! Cool man! I'm going with Banshee, since that's my thing,"

He grins and spreads his arms towards the coating of glass shards on the floor.

"Hank's obviously going with Beast!"

"What?"

Raven smirks as Hank looks up from his papers with a puzzled look.

"Why?"

Raven chuckles.

"It suits you big guy."

"And be glad. Sean originally wanted to go for 'The Big Blue Brain'."

"Hey! It was a good idea! Like, BBB for short!"

"Naw man Alex's suggestion is cooler."

"I don't want a nickname."

"C'mon Hank! I'll choose… Mystique!"

"Damn I wanted Mystique!"

"So Darwin, what're you choosing?"

"Well, Darwin is kinda a nickname and it kinda fit, evolution and all."

The whole room swivels to look at him, silently prompting. He notices and laughs.

"Got a fish tank?"

* * *

"You know I did say we could've brought Raven with us."

"You know I did say no."

Moira listens to the banter at the back of the truck, a lighthearted review of their plans.

"Mactaggert."

Black calls for her attention, face twitching. She notices what he's gesturing at and swears, but freezes and narrows her eyes.

Something feels wrong.

"What's wrong?"

"It's a checkpoint. Not marked on the map."

"What else?"

Erik was as sharp as he looked. Moira could see that.

"It's empty."

"What?"

She feels the slight probing sensation, barely noticeable unless you're heart was hammering and your senses had sharpened themselves in anticipation, the sickly feeling of something wrong filling up your pores.

"That is quite odd. Erik what do you think?"

Her ears pick up the sound of weight shifting.

"I can't sense any guns or metal weapons nearby. Nearest ones belong to the guards at the house we're heading for."

"You can sense that far?"

"If I focus. Charles can you sense anything?"

"Only a few woodland creatures."

"Agent Black what's the next plan of action?"

There's a small feeling of relief that settles around her heart when it's not up to her to make the big decisions.

"We go on. But lookout for signs of a potential ambush and search the guard posts. With all this going on with Russia the CIA has been discussing the possibilities of a third party entering the conflict."

For the buffoon he seems, Moira is slightly surprised to find out that he can muster authoritative presence.

"Okay. I'll take a few soldier to get this over with faster."

* * *

The roar of the chopper does little to hinder communication, with headphones and Emma's telepathic abilities. But the White Queen is left alone to her musings.

How interesting. That other telepath… it looks like the Red King has entered the game.

She is cut out of her subconscious mind when her abilities, the tendrils she's spanned out to warn her of danger, gets snagged in an abyss.

_What?!_

She probes further and a feeling so rare to her system that it feels alien, covering her in a slimy feeling.

"Turn the chopper around!"

* * *

His gut tells him something is wrong.

"Charles."

And apparently so does Erik's.

"Something's wrong. I don't know exactly what, give me a moment."

Charles reaches out a tendril of his mind first, probing the general are. Confused with his results, he throws out the net.

"Well."

"What?"

Moira is prodding his elbow now.

"There's no one there."

"There are guards around an empty house? A few dozen armed guards, who don't seem very confused with guarding an empty house?"

"Yes."

The silence doesn't faze him, because he's very sure, very very sure.

Another thing he's sure of is that something has just set its wheels in motion.

* * *

Something is very wrong.

He's amazed that he's still keeping up his pace at the game he's playing versus Alex with this penetrating feeling of wrong in his gut.

Of course by keeping pace it means he's losing badly at their fifteenth game to boot.

"Man, you are killing me!"

"Don't beat yourself up I've had a lot of practice."

Five seconds, a lost game and a drink later his gut feeling intensifies.

"Hey Alex you get the feeling that something's… well wrong?"

"Like something bad is going to happen?"

"Yeah."

"Well, kinda-"

Then the door blows open and Darwin gets pushed forward by what feels like an explosion, that leaves his ears ringing, his vision blurred and the feeling that something in his chest is broken.

He coughs up blood, and the action sucks back all the noise to his ears, the pain in his chest flares and he hears Alex yell.

There is a bullet in his back.

* * *

Sean is happily walking in the corridors.

That's it.

He was walking. Perfectly normal behaviour.

So why is it that the agent pulls him over? Into a closet no less.

The agent, it turns out, his new shape-shifting crush. He's seen it only a few times, the way her appearance breaks into scales and layers and peels back in waves to reveal something under it. He may sound like he's quoting the Professor or Hank but is undoubtably fascinating. But Raven doesn't morph into he usual form or her natural one either. She turns into what looks like a heavily armed agent in a uniform that doesn't click in his head. It's defiantly not army.

"Shh. Sean put this on."

She shoves a similar set of uniforms, unearthed from god knows where, into his arms, a pile of musty cloth that is definitely not freshly washed.

"Uh, like no dude. What the heck is going on?"

The air of unease that stuffs up the storage room damn lens his voice into a whisper.

"The building is under attack. Most of the CIA agents have been taken down. I intercepted a conversation. There aiming for us. The mutants."

"Dude do you part time as a an agent or something."

"I've been to places."

Her voice is creepy, partly because it's the most truthful sounding statement he's heard from her. Everything else sounds like a tape recording of all the girls who've rejected him, schoolmates that look him in the eye after whispering behind his back.

She pushed him to hurry and he pulls over the heavy cloth over his head.

"You're going with me. First we find Alex and Darwin."

"What about Hank?"

"His lab's heavily secured and he's better at defending himself. Alex on the other hand has little control of his abilities and Darwin isn't suited for combat situations like this."

"Um yeah okay."

"Just try not to talk to any of them and follow my lead.

* * *

_Too late. _

If it wasn't for Erik's firm hand on his shoulder and undoubtably as firm mental control of the car lock Charles would have thrown himself out of the car to sprint towards the building the second it was in sight.

_Too late._

So instead he throws out his mental net, seeking Raven, seeking survivors and information.

"Raven?"

"I'm okay."

"Charles. You can throw yourself out the door now."

Charles blinks, reeling his mind back at the sound of Erik's voice, back to the now stopped car. The door swings open of it own accord and as promised the Telepath is tearing through the compound in seconds, the telekinetic at his heels.

"There, Charles do not try to jump that you'll trip and break a leg-"

"Raven!"

"Charles! Erik!"

Raven jumps up to wave, which is good sign because there's no wince that suggests that she's injured and Charles cannot deal with that.

The two basically fly into each other's embrace and even Erik loosely puts his arm around them before checking up on the much neglected everyone else.

"Injuries?"

Sean, ever the bright one, gives a half hearted smile.

"Uh, nothing major except Darwin."

"What happened to Darwin?"

"He's gone. Alex says they shot him and we can't find the body. Lucky Raven swooped in and Black-Widowed a guys and basically saved most of our asses. Hoarded us and the injured in Hank's super secure lab. The building's totalled but it's like a bunker in there man."

Eric let's him blabber on, veering away from the lightly touched topic of Darwin's demise, half listening. The kid needed to de-stress. This was more of Charles' thing but he could handle it.

Probably.

"What do we do now?"

Everyone turned to Alex.

"What do you mean?"

"Haven't you guys noticed? They didn't do anything to the human officials, they went straight for the mutants and we can't find Darwin's body."

It is common human nature to refuse what they cannot comprehend or accept peacefully, be it the truth or not. So it was only Eric's words, summing up and confirming Alex's statement, that allowed the reality to sink in.

"We're being hunted by a third party."


End file.
